{"id":845,"date":"2026-08-27T15:59:37","date_gmt":"2026-08-27T15:59:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/crime-analysis\/?page_id=845"},"modified":"2026-08-28T01:02:31","modified_gmt":"2026-08-28T01:02:31","slug":"drone-and-satellite-imagery-and-crime","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/crime-analysis\/drone-and-satellite-imagery-and-crime\/","title":{"rendered":"Drone and Satellite Imagery and Crime"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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CURRENT RESEARCH \u2022 REMOTE SENSING \u2022 GIS \u2022 ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Drone & Satellite Imagery and Crime<\/h1>\n\n\n\n

Using remote sensing, geospatial technology and artificial intelligence to measure the built environment and better understand crime and place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This interdisciplinary project combines high-resolution drone imagery, satellite data, GIS and machine learning to identify environmental characteristics that may influence crime, victimization and community safety.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Explore the Project \u2193<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n
\u2190 Institute Home<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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\"Satelite<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Project Overview<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Research Focus<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Research Workflow<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Technology<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Research Team<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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PROJECT OVERVIEW<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Seeing Crime Environments From Above<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The physical environment has long been central to theories of crime and place. Buildings, parking areas, vegetation, street layout, property conditions and other elements of urban design can influence visibility, accessibility, guardianship and opportunities for offending.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Drone and satellite imagery make it possible to observe these characteristics systematically and at geographic scales that would be difficult to achieve through traditional field observation alone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By combining remote sensing, GIS and artificial intelligence, the project transforms imagery into measurable environmental variables that can be examined alongside spatial patterns of crime and community safety.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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PROJECT AT A GLANCE<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Remote Sensing for Crime Research<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

RESEARCH FOCUS<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Built environment, crime and community safety<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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PRIMARY DATA<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Drone & satellite imagery<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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CORE METHODS<\/p>\n\n\n\n

GIS \u2022 Remote sensing \u2022 Machine learning<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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PROJECT STATUS<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Active research & technology development<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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RESEARCH FOCUS<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turning Images Into Environmental Data<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The project explores how new geospatial technologies can improve the measurement of physical environments relevant to crime and public safety.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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01<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Object Detection<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Can artificial intelligence reliably identify environmental objects and features from drone and satellite imagery?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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02<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Built Environment<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

How do buildings, vegetation, parking areas, infrastructure and other physical characteristics relate to crime?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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03<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Physical Disorder<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Can remote sensing provide scalable and systematic measures of environmental deterioration and disorder?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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04<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Spatial Crime Analysis<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Can imagery-derived environmental measures improve spatial explanation and prediction of crime patterns?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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\"Futuristic<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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ENVIRONMENTAL MEASUREMENT<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Can We See From Above?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

High-resolution imagery can be transformed into measurable environmental variables. Machine learning makes it possible to identify and classify large numbers of physical features more consistently and efficiently than traditional manual observation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Buildings & Structures<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Parking Areas<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Trees & Vegetation<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Pavement & Surface Conditions<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Urban Infrastructure<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Signs of Physical Disorder<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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RESEARCH WORKFLOW<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From Imagery to Crime Analysis<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The workflow converts raw aerial imagery into geospatial information that can be analyzed alongside crime data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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01<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Collect Imagery<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Acquire high-resolution drone imagery and appropriate satellite imagery for selected study areas.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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02<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Process Imagery<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Generate orthomosaics, spatial imagery layers and three-dimensional representations of study environments.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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03<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Apply AI<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Use machine learning and object detection to identify and classify physical features within the imagery.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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04<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Analyze Crime<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Integrate imagery-derived variables with crime data to examine environmental relationships and spatial patterns.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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TECHNOLOGY & INFRASTRUCTURE<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Processing Imagery at Research Scale<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A single drone flight can produce hundreds of high-resolution images. Converting those images into orthomosaics, three-dimensional point clouds and machine-learning inputs requires substantial storage, specialized software and accelerated computing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The project is developing a cloud-enabled geospatial workflow capable of supporting imagery processing, deep-learning analysis and large satellite datasets. The computing environment has been developed with consultation and technical support from Amazon Web Services specialists.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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COMPUTING ENVIRONMENT<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Built for Large Geospatial Datasets<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

GPU-enabled computing, GIS software and scalable storage support processing from raw imagery through spatial analysis.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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GEOSPATIAL WORKFLOW<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From Raw Images to Spatial Data<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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01<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Acquire<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Collect high-resolution drone flights and satellite imagery.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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02<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Process<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Generate orthomosaics, imagery products and three-dimensional point clouds.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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03<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Detect<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Apply machine-learning models to identify built-environment features.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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04<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Analyze<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Integrate environmental measures with spatial crime data and models.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

GEOSPATIAL COMPUTING ENVIRONMENT<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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GPU Computing<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Accelerated processing for large imagery datasets and deep-learning models.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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ArcGIS Pro<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Advanced GIS, imagery interpretation and spatial-analysis workflows.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Drone2Map<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Drone photogrammetry, orthomosaic generation and three-dimensional products.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Cloud Storage<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Scalable storage for high-resolution drone and satellite imagery.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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RESEARCH TEAM<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Research Associates<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The project brings together expertise in criminology, spatial analysis, GIS, remote sensing and geospatial technology.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"Headshot<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

RESEARCH ASSOCIATE<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr. Olga B. Semukhina<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Professor & Department Head<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Department of Criminal Justice<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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\"Professional<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

RESEARCH ASSOCIATE<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr. Yuen \u201cYolanda\u201d Tsang<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Assistant Professor<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Geography & GIS<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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\"Professional<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

RESEARCH ASSOCIATE<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr. Opeyemi Zubair<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Adjunct Faculty<\/p>\n\n\n\n

GIS & Remote Sensing<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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DRONES \u2022 REMOTE SENSING \u2022 GIS \u2022 CRIMINOLOGY<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interested in Remote-Sensing Crime Research?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We welcome interdisciplinary collaboration involving drone technology, satellite imagery, GIS, remote sensing, machine learning, environmental criminology and spatial crime analysis.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Contact the Research Team \u2192<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

CURRENT RESEARCH \u2022 REMOTE SENSING \u2022 GIS \u2022 ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE Drone & Satellite Imagery and Crime Using remote sensing, geospatial technology and artificial intelligence to measure the built environment and …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":973,"featured_media":670,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"functions-assets\/subsite-hero-page-template.php","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"advgb_blocks_editor_width":"","advgb_blocks_columns_visual_guide":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-845","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":[],"coauthors":[],"author_meta":{"author_link":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/crime-analysis\/author\/semukhina\/","display_name":"semukhina"},"relative_dates":{"created":"Posted 2 weeks ago","modified":"Updated 2 weeks ago"},"absolute_dates":{"created":"Posted on August 27, 2026","modified":"Updated on August 28, 2026"},"absolute_dates_time":{"created":"Posted on August 27, 2026 3:59 pm","modified":"Updated on August 28, 2026 1:02 am"},"featured_img_caption":"The logo of Tarleton State University","featured_img":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/crime-analysis\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/233\/2021\/12\/Tarleton_TonTexas.svg","series_order":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/crime-analysis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/845","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/crime-analysis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/crime-analysis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/crime-analysis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/973"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/crime-analysis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=845"}],"version-history":[{"count":33,"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/crime-analysis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/845\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1012,"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/crime-analysis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/845\/revisions\/1012"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/crime-analysis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/670"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/crime-analysis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=845"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}